nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Highly Enriched Uranium – so easy to make an atom bomb

Since the end of the Cold War the International Atomic Energy Authority, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, has logged 800 incidents of radioactive material going missing or being seized by smugglers.

Mission to stop nuclear terrorism, Telegraph A multi-million dollar US programme is attempting to make safe the world’s bomb-grade uranium before terrorists can get to it. By Nick Meo in Warsaw  11 Oct 2010 “…..Intelligence agencies will not reveal their reasons for being so frightened now about what for years seemed a remote and unlikely risk. But it may be because of the deeply troubling cases of smuggling that surface from time to time in Eastern Europe, hinting at the existence of a nuclear black market. Continue reading

November 9, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety, Uranium | , , , , | Leave a comment

Mystery of USA Republicans supporting socialised nuclear industry

I can’t understand why they’re pushing an energy agenda that calls for building new nuclear power plants. Those facilities are super-expensive and are virtually impossible to build without a big helping hand from the government.

GOP’s nuclear option –  Rochester City Newspaper, November 8, 2010 By Jeremy Moule. Republicans just took back control of Congress in an electoral wave, Continue reading

November 9, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Germany: nuclear wastes arrived, but anti-nuclear movement now mainstream

“The main difference between the ’70s and ’80s, when this all started, is today it’s a mainstream issue at the centre of the society,” …. “It is not just the ecological fringe.”

Despite protests, nuclear waste arrives in northern Germany – thestar.com. Michael Slackman New York Times, 9 Nov 10,  lBERLIN—After three days of protests and occasional violent clashes with the police, a train hauling 123 tonnes of nuclear waste arrived Monday in northern Germany. Continue reading

November 9, 2010 Posted by | Germany, politics | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Germany: costly transport of nuclear wastes through protest

17,000 policemen, at a cost of up to 50 million euros ($70 million), were used over the weekend to keep an estimated 35,000 people from blocking the path of the train,

Mounting disappointments boost anti-nuclear protests   Deutsche Welle    Ben Knight,   08.11.2010 “……..The ongoing civil disobedience campaign against a train delivery of nuclear waste to a storage facility in Gorleben is being reported as one of the biggest of its kind ever in Germany. Continue reading

November 9, 2010 Posted by | Germany, opposition to nuclear | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama’s nuclear concessions to India, despite India not joining Nuclear non Proliferation Treaty

Both the Missile Technology Control Regime and the nuclear exporters group mandate that nations seeking membership join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. India has not done so

Obama Eases Nuclear Export Controls on India, Washington and New Delhi also inked a memorandum of understanding that outlines areas the United States can collaborate with India as the South Asian state establishes the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership, the White House announced, Global Security Newswire,  Nov. 8, 2010 President Obama on Saturday declared the United States would ease some controls on high-tech trade with nuclear-armed India, restrictions originally put in place in response to the South Asian nation’s 1998 nuclear tests, Continue reading

November 9, 2010 Posted by | India, politics international, USA | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste must not be exported to other countries: EU

to put a stop to the current practice where EU member states, which do not want to store spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste on their territory, can pay countries outside the bloc to do the job for them…….The facilities would have to deal with material that can stay radioactive for up to one million years.

EU: Nuclear waste cannot be outsourced,  New Europe, 7 November 2010 The European Commission on 3 November unveiled new proposals, stating that EU governments will be banned from offloading their nuclear waste onto third countries. Continue reading

November 8, 2010 Posted by | EUROPE, wastes | , , , , | Leave a comment

No, Mr President, we can’t ‘restart’ the nuclear industry

A “commercial” nuclear reactor would cost upwards of 15 billion dollars to build in America today and require massive government subsidies which could be invested in, for example, offshore wind power and transmission lines instead.

A response to President Obama on nuclear industry, Media With Conscience , By Ace Hoffman, 8 Nov 10, During a press conference after the elections this week, President Obama made a short reference in vague support of nuclear energy. He said:”There’s been discussion about how we can restart our nuclear industry as a means of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing greenhouse gases.  Is that an area where we can move forward?” Continue reading

November 8, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Biggest ever mass movement against nuclear waste transport

Largest mobilization ever against CASTOR nuclear transport, Greenpeace International,  by Kumi Naidoo – November 7, 2010 Right now in Germany we are witnessing an unprecedented mass mobilization against radioactive waste and against the operational extension of 17 nuclear reactors in the country by an average of 12 years.

This anti-CASTOR (Cask for Storage and Transport of Radioactive material) mobilization is the largest Germany has seen, and includes both the young and the old, farmers and politicians, environmental and youth groups. It is truly a grassroots movement, united behind one goal: saying ‘Nein Danke’ -‘No thank you’ – to nuclear energy…..Largest mobilization ever against CASTOR nuclear transport | Greenpeace International

November 8, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , | Leave a comment

Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) a target for smuggling

the world should phase out the civilian use of HEU, which is still used to fuel more than 100 research reactors around the world, many with minimal security measures in place.

Nuclear smuggling: The expert view, Insider thieves are the new nuclear threat. Protect the materials and prevent the terrorism,  Matthew Bunn,  guardian.co.uk,  7 November 2 The dark netherworlds of nuclear smuggling still pose a terrible danger to us all. Terrorists are seeking nuclear weapons and the materials to make them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take a Manhattan Project to make a crude nuclear bomb – numerous government studies have warned that a sophisticated terrorist group might pull it off, if they could get enough nuclear material. Continue reading

November 8, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Secret trial reveals illicit trade in nuclear materials

The trial, which is being held in camera, has underlined how little about the illicit trade in nuclear smuggling is known.

Armenian smugglers tried to sell nuclear material to terrorists The former Soviet republic of Armenia has emerged as a potential flashpoint for nuclear smuggling after it was revealed that two Armenian nationals tried to sell highly enriched uranium to people they thought were terrorists in March.  Telegraph By Andrew Osborn in Moscow  07 Nov 2010 Continue reading

November 8, 2010 Posted by | EUROPE, secrets,lies and civil liberties | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama and 200 corporate heavies to India to sell nuclear technology

Over 200 US corporate chiefs are accompanying Mr Obama, including Jeffrey Inmelt of GE, seeking to sell to India civil nuclear equipment worth billions of dollars.

US trade drive in India includes arms and civil nuclear material – The Irish Times – Sat, Nov 06, 2010, RAHUL BEDI in New Delhi US PRESIDENT Barack Obama arrives in India today on a three-day official trip that promises to be high on ceremony and sentiment but somewhat low on tangible “deliverables”…. Continue reading

November 6, 2010 Posted by | India, politics international, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sarkozy selling France’s nuclear rechnology to China

a slew of business deals including a $3.5 billion contract with energy firm Areva

France, China to form nuclear power partnership | Reuters   -Areva signs three deals with China, eyes EPR sale   China signs $20 bln of business contracts in France PARIS, Nov 4 (Reuters) – France and China have agreed to form a strategic partnership in civilian nuclear power that ranges from building reactors in common to exploiting uranium mines, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday. Continue reading

November 6, 2010 Posted by | China, France, politics international | , , , , , | 1 Comment

EU struggles with nuclear waste problem, plans to ban exports of waste

no final repositories exist for the roughly 7,000 cubic meters of high-level waste produced each year….the majority of the toxic substance is kept in interim storages..

EU nuclear waste proposals include export ban    EUobserver, ANDREW WILLIS 03.11.2010 BRUSSELS – New European Commission proposals will require EU member states to bury their radioactive waste deep underground, with overseas exports of the toxic byproduct also set to be banned. Continue reading

November 4, 2010 Posted by | EUROPE, wastes | , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Despite Republican win, USA’s nuclear industry is stalled

A renaissance in nuclear power may be stalled regardless of action by Congress, said Chris Gadomski, the lead analyst for nuclear power with Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Nuclear Power Gains in Republican House Victory; `Cap and Trade’ Suffers – Bloomberg, By Jim Efstathiou Jr. and Jim Snyder – Nov 4, 2010 “…………Nuclear power remains a tough sell …. The U.S. has no long-term plan to dispose of spent reactor fuel, and building nuclear plants remains prohibitively expensive without government subsidies, said John Walke, clean- air director for the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council. Continue reading

November 4, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finland move to ban uranium recovery as by-product

Greens would ban by-product uranium recovery, Helsinki Times, 1 Nov 10 The Green League said in a statement Sunday that the recovery of uranium as a by-product of other mining operations should be banned.The party management added that uranium recovery would be an environmental hazard and as such would endanger the reputation of Lapland and Kainuu as holiday destinations.Talvivaara, a company that runs a nickel mine in Sotkamo, is mulling commencing uranium recovery. Greens would ban by-product uranium recovery

November 2, 2010 Posted by | Finland, politics, Uranium | , , , | Leave a comment